The First Parish Records of Gustaf Unonius

UNONIUS FAMILY PICTURES
F r o m the collection of Baroness H e r m e l i n,
granddaughter of M r . and M r s . U n o n i u s . C o n ­tributed
by M r s . Phyllis Babb of M i l w a u k e e .
MRS. GUSTAF UNONIUS
(Charlotte)
THE UNONIUS FAMILY
Five surviving children bom in America
THE UNONIUS GOLDEN WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY WITH GRANDCHILDREN
(1891)
THE FIRST PARISH RECORDS OF GUSTAF
UNONIUS
AXEL FRIMAN
During a journey to the United States in I9601 the writer came
across by chance the original records of Gustaf Unonius' first
parish records from Pine Lake, Wisconsin. Although there was
little opportunity to examine these records at the time, it became
apparent that this primary source was unknown to scholars, and
since it was available only in the original, efforts were made to
kindle the interest of the Wisconsin Historical Society in having
the document microfilmed. At this time it was preserved in the
Archives of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Stone Bank, Wis­consin.
Although the writer was not aware of the fact until ten
years later, when he again made a trip to the United States, the
parish records were microfilmed and are now in the library of the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
In connection with the writer's second journey to the United
States in 1970, he procured a copy of these parish records but
also discovered that they had been copied as early as 1960 by
the now deceased Edith Tallmadge, county historian for Wau­kesha
County. William F. Stark of Nashotah, on the shores of
Pine Lake, had also procured a copy of the Stone Bank records
and had actually used part of these records for his first edition of
P i n e L a k e Saga, published in 1952. A second edition of the
author's story has just appeared.
It was William Stark, further, who introduced me to Dr. Harry
H. Anderson, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Historical
Society, himself a descendant of Swedish settlers in America. In
return for giving Dr. Anderson a copy of my microfilmed Stone
Bank records I received from him a microfilm of the journal
which Gustaf Unonius used as basis for his reports to Bishop
Jackson Kemper. So far as the writer has been able to judge, the
presence of this journal is not known outside the Wisconsin
1 Axel Friman, "On the Trail of Early Wisconsin Swedes," T h e Swedish
Pioneer H i s t o r i c a l Q u a r t e r l y , Vol. XII, p. 14.
262
Historical Society. Knowing that Dr. Anderson, himself, wishes
to publish and spread the knowledge of the contents of this jour­nal,
I only wish to make known to the readers of the Swedish
P i o n e e r H i s t o r i c a l Q u a r t e r l y the presence of such a journal.
For information about- Gustaf Unonius and his two-volume
M e m o i r s , published by the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society
in 1950 and 1960, I refer to this work and its copious notes.
Concerning Unonius' religious engagement in America it can
be said in brevity that when he left Sweden in 1841 he never
envisaged that he would become the first graduate from the
newly established Nashotah Episcopal Mission2. As the first
priest to be consecrated at Nashotah (on May 11, 1845) he be­came
the first pastor of the Scandinavian congregation at Pine
Lake, which church had been organized March 3, 1844. Pastor
Unonius received his income for the first two or three years from
the Episcopal Church Home Mission Treasury, since the congre­gation
was young, consisted of Scandinavian members, mostly
poor, and accustomed from the old country to belonging to a
state church, supported by the Government. In order to improve
his economic lot for himself and his family Unonius was trans­ferred
in 1848, after the church where he had begun his ministry
had been completed, to the St. James' Parish in Manitowoc, Wis­consin.
For a year Unonius labored in this church, where osten­sibly
one would expect a second church register to be found.
In 1849 Unonius moved to Chicago, where he became the pas­tor
of the Scandinavian Congregation, known as the St. Ansgar¬
ius Episcopal Church. From his service in Chicago until 1858,
when he returned to Sweden, we have his third set of parish
records, heretofore the only ones of which we have had knowl­edge.
His ministry at Pine Lake and the neighboring parish of St.
Olaf on the shores of the Ashipun River is verified indirectly
from his church records. In addition to this we should also
mention that during the years 1854-1857 Unonius also performed
a number of sacraments in his old parishes, such as a score of
baptisms, three weddings, and one funeral. The reason for this
is apparently the fact that Unonius' former parishioners appealed
to the Bishop that their former spiritual counsellor be allowed
2 Established by Bishop Jackson Kemper in 1842.
263
to come up once a month from Chicago to visit the congregation
on the Ashipun River and carry out his clerical duties.
The title of the newly discovered parish register states that the
record consists of the "Families of Pine Lake and St. Olaf's
Church, Town of Merton, Waukesha County, Wisconsin 1841-
1849 as entered on church book records from the St. John's
Lutheran Church, Stone Bank, Wisconsin by Rev. Gustaf Elias
Unonius, appointed in charge of the Scandinavian settlers by
Bishop Jackson Kemper."
During the eight years in question a total of 109 familes have
been registered, of which six are Swedish, three Irish, while the
remaining 100 are Norwegian. A large number of the Norwegian
settlers carry the family name of Gasmann. Their life stories
can be followed in the parish records. For Norwegian emigration
experts this early source for the presence of Norwegian settlers
in Wisconsin should be of particular value. I may be wrong,
but I dare venture that this early primary source has not been
known to them earlier.
The Swedish families listed were as follows:
Gustaf Unonius3 arrived Nov. 11, 1841
Polycarpus von Schneidau4 arrived in 1842, moved in Oct.
1844
Bengt Pettersson5 arrived in May, 1843
Gustaf Fr. Leonard Bergius6 arrived July 13, 1845
Carl Gustaf Hammarqvist7 arrived Sept. 21, 1846
Christian Olsson8 (Norwegian) arrived Nov. 26, 1846; mar­ried
to Christina Södergren, who had emigrated with the
Unonius family.
George Edward Bergwall9 arrived July 19, 1846
The above mentioned families all lived in New Upsala on
Pine Lake, except for Hammarqvist, who resided in Koshkonong.
The next section of the register lists individuals without fami­lies.
Between the years 1844 and 1849 a total of 56 individuals
3 Nils William Olsson, Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s i n New Y o r k i n 1 8 2 0 -
1850 (Stockholm and Chicago, 1967), pp. 38-39, n. 19.
' I b i d . , p. 43, n. 42.
r' I b i d . , p. 47, n. 69. His name in Sweden was Knut Hallström, son of
a provost in Nyköping, Nils Hallström.
' I b i d . , p. 47, n. 71.
1 I b i d . , p. 51, n. 92.
' I b i d . , p. 39, n. 23.
" I b i d . , p. 58. He arrived July 5, 1844, aboard the Tosca H e l e n a from
Rotterdam.
264
Pages -from the parish records of St. John's L u t h e r a n C h u r c h,
1 8 4 2 - 1 9 4 4 . M i c r o f i l m edition, Stone B a n k , Wisconsin. Courtesy
of the State H i s t o r i c a l Society of Wisconsin.
265
were registered, of whom two were Swedes, one a Dane, and the
remaining 53 Norwegian.
The first of the Swedes was Knut Alfred Böttiger1 0 , who
arrived in 1842 and was registered in The Church Book on the
organization of the parish on March 3, 1844, but who moved
away already during the summer of that year; the second was
Carl Gustaf Groth1 1 , who arrived with Unonius in 1841 and re­moved
in 1846. He was recorded as a sponsor at the very first
baptism conducted in Pine Lake, Dec. 5, 1842, and as a communi­cant
in May of 1843 (see below). After many years of adven­tures
he returned to Sweden, where he arrived just a few months
before Unonius.
Information about a total of thirty-odd Swedes can be gleaned
from these records. The group is not large, but it consists of the
relatively early and better known group surrounding Unonius,
and it is with this in mind that it is valuable to add the newly
discovered details from the Stone Bank records.
During the period in question there were obviously many
other Swedes in the area, for example John O. Rudberg12, but
they are not to be found in the parish register simply because
they were not members of the congregation, at least not during
the 1840s. Rudberg does appear later during the spring of 1850,
when he was a party in a Danish-Swedish marriage (see below).
Others from Pine Lake and who, according to other sources,
were residing in the area, and who cannot be located in the Stone
Bank records, are Baron Fredrik Thott, who arrived on the brig
G o t h a in Boston June 13, 1842 and a certain Mr. Wadman,
who arrived in 1842 together with Georg Bergwall1 3 . Thott
stayed about a year, but left Pine Lake to accept a civilian posi­tion
in northern Wisconsin. Neither did Wadman, according to
Unonius, born in Norrköping, seem to have remained in the
colony. Sven Björkander from Västergötland did not stay long
enough to register as a member of the congregation. After sev­eral
years of residing in New Orleans together with Carl Gustaf
" I b i d . , p. 41, n. 35.
" I b i d . , p. 39, n. 22. Oddly, Groth was registered in the Church Book
only on Aug. 3, 1845.
' ' I b i d , p. 47, n. 72 and William F. Stark, T h e P i n e L a k e Saga (1952),
p. 26 and pp. 94-95.
13 T h e P i n e L a k e Saga, p. 26.
266
Groth (see above), he returned to Wisconsin and was living in
Koshkonong in 1850.
A few months later a Lieutenant St. Sure14' arrived, who also
does not appear in the parish register except inferentially as
providing space for the Bergwall wedding, which was held in
St. Sure's home.
An early sailor, Charles Balkman, who supposedly arrived in
Pine Lake in 1843, is found five years later in the parish register
as the sponsor at Knut George Bergwall's baptism. ,
It is to be expected that Unonius' rival in the administration
of spiritual solace to the Scandinavian souls, Peter Wilhelm
Böckman1 5 , does not appear in the register, even though Unonius
asked him to preach occasionally in his parish.
It is surprising not to find Carl Wilhelm Polman's name in the
church registers, despite the fact that he is named two or three
dozen times in Unonius' M e m o i r s . Neither does he appear in
Nils William Olsson's Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s i n New Y o r k
1820-1850. It is known that he came aboard the M i n n e t from
Gävle with the Unonius party, but he does not appear on the
ship's manifest. Perhaps he was counted as a member of the
crew, since he had some medical experience and may have served
as ship's surgeon. His absence from the church register may be
explained by the fact that he moved from Pine Lake before the
church was organized.
The register of baptisms lists 277 separate entries. The first
baptism was held Dec. 5, 1842. It was officiated by the Rev. J.
Lloyd Breck in the simple cottage of Gustaf Unonius and con­cerned
the first-born child of Gustaf Unonius and Charlotta
Öhrströmer, Fredrick Israel, born Nov. 27, 1842. He died, how­ever,
already on May 11, 1844 and was buried on May 14 by the
Rev. Mr. Breck. Polman (see above) and the neighboring women
assisted at the delivery. Sponsors were Bengt Pettersson, Charles
Groth (Carl Gustaf) and Christina Södergren.
The next baptism also involved a Unonius son, Lloyd Gustaf,
born Aug. 14, 1844. The sponsors at this occasion were the
"Gustaf Unonius, A Pioneer in Northwest America 1 8 4 1 - 1 8 5 8 , Vol. II
(Minneapolis, 1960), p. 327, n. 11. His original name was Adolf Fredrik
Lindsfelt.
10 T h e P i n e L a k e Saga, pp. 26-27 and Swedish. Passenger A r r i v a l s , p. 61.
n. 60.
267
officiant, the Rev. Mr. Breck, Lorentz Fribert, Polycarpus von
Schneidau, Ellev Björnson, in whose home the baptism was held,
Mrs. Anna Christine Gasmann, Mrs. Charlotta Pettersson, Maren
Chritoffersdatter and Ebba Pettersson.
In the long list of baptisms ending March 13, 1859, when the
list ends, there were thirteen additional baptisms, which, beyond
doubt, dealt with Swedish descendants:
D a t e of
B a p t i s m Child B a p t i z ed
May 15, 1845 Hildur Pettersson
May 17, 1846 Maria Fredrika Unonius
Nov. 15, 1846 Agnes Eleonora Bergius
Jan. 7, 1847 Otto August Björkqvist
Dec. 3, 1848 Knut Georg Bergwall
Dec. 26, 1850 Sten Vestring Bergwall
Oct. 14, 1855 Hilda Elisabeth Unonius
June 26, 1857 Carl Erik Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Josephina Amalia Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Parmela Fredrika Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Aron Ludwig Kumlin
June 26, 1857 Victor Theodor Kumlin
Sept. 6, 1857 Svea Maria Kumlin
B i r t h D a te
April 18, 1845
May 1, 1846
Sept. 16, 1846
Oct. 18, 1846
Sept. 10, 1848
1850
Oct. 13, 1855
Oct. 31, 1850
Aug. 1, 1853
March 19, 1856
March 15, 1853
Jan. 7, 1855
Aug. 8, 1857
Officiant
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. M. F. Sorensen
Rev. M. F. Sorensen
Rev. L. Kemper
?
9
?
?
?
?
The families of Hammarqvist and Kumlin1 0 lived at Koshko¬
nong and Björkqvist in Saukville. The Kumlins were old friends
of Unonius from his time at the University of Uppsala.
It can be said with certainty that the Rev. Mr. Unonius per­formed
about 100 baptisms. During the time May 15, 1845 to
April 9, 1848 he officiated at 78 baptisms and during the period
Dec. 28, 1853 to April 18, 1858 he performed an additional twenty.
Several persons who have not been reported earlier appear as
witnesses at these baptisms as for example Mr. and Mrs. Zetter¬
ström17, who were witnesses at the baptism of Otto August
Björkqvist on Jan. 7, 1847.
The first confirmation was held on March 3, 1844, when Bishop
Jackson Kemper officiated. Of the three confirmands, two were
Swedish — Mrs. Carolina Elisabeth von Schneidau and Ebbe
Pettersson (son of Bengt Pettersson). Mrs. von Schneidau was
10 Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s , pp. 50-51, n. 87 and 89.
"Ibid., p. 63, n. 74 and n. 75.
268
born in Stockholm in 1810, the daughter of Jewish parents, and
was baptized Nov. 26, 1843, as a preparation for her confirmation.
The baptism had been done by the Rev. J. Lloyd Breck and the
witnesses at this, the only adult baptism recorded, were Lorentz
Fribert, Adolf St. Sure, Bengt Pettersson, Elsie St. Sure, Char­lotte
Unonius and Charlotte Pettersson.
Up until June 3, 1857, the bishop confirmed a total of 93 per­sons.
Of these the following were also Swedes, in addition to the
two cited above:
D a y c o n f i r m e d Name Remarks
Sept. 20, 1846 Josephina Reuterskjöld1 8 Married Hammarqvist
May 27, 1849 Steen Johan Pettersson
June 16, 1850 Amalie Charlotte Pettersson
The list of communicants is long — it contains over the period
May, 1843 to May 27, 1849 a total of 304 names, of which seven­teen
are Swedes or descendants of Swedes, and mirrors all of
the adult population of the parish.
The Swedish portion has the following appearance:
I b i d . , p. 49, n. 83.
269
Name
Gustaf Elias Unonius
Charlotte Unonius
Polycarpus Schneidau
Bengt Pettersson
Charles Groth
Christine Södergren
Carolina Elisabeth Schneidau
Charlotte Pettersson
Niels Erik Pettersson
Ebbe Wilhelm Pettersson
Ebba Maria El. Pettersson
Knut Alfred Bottiger
Gust Fred Leon Bergius
Eugenia Reuterskjöld
Carl Gustaf Hammarqvist
Georg Edward Bergwall
Maria Bergwall
Residence
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Koshkonong
Koshkonong
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
When and how a d d ed
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
Confirmation Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By confirmation, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
July 13, 1846 by emigration
Sept. 20, 1846 by confirmation
Sept. 21, 1846 by emigration
July 19,1846 by emigration
July 19,1846 by emigration
When and how l o st
Left
Left
Removal Nov., 1844
By death Dec. 19, 1845
Removal Summer, 1846
By death Oct. 15, 1847
Removal, Nov. 1844
Removal, March, 1845
By death Oct. 1, 1846
In the next section, dealing with marriages, a total of 70 sacra­ments
were celebrated between Feb. 11, 1844 and April 19, 1857.
Six of these are interesting from the Swedish point of view. Of
the total number the Rev. Mr. Unonius seems to have officiated
at 24 of these ceremonies during the time May 25, 1845 to June
8, 1848 and an additional three between Nov. 13, 1854 and April
19, 1857. The first Swedish wedding was held on July 13, 1845
between Gustaf Fred. Bergius (born in March, 1820) and Bengt
and Charlotta Pettersson's daughter, Ebba Maria Eleanora Pet­tersson
(born Sept. 10, 1828). The Rev. Mr. Unonius performed
the ceremony. The marriage terminated the following year on
Oct. 1, through the death of Mr. Bergius.
Almost a year later, or on July 9, 1846, Unonius united in
matrimony Georg Edward Bergwall and Maria Lundberg. This
marriage did not last very long either, since Maria died on Nov.
26 of that year. It may be noted that this marriage was held in
the home of Mr. and Mrs. St. Sure. On Sept. 21, 1846, another
marriage was consummated in the little Swedish colony. This
time the ceremony was held in the home of Gustaf Unonius and
the parties were Carl G. Hammarqvist and Josephine Reuter¬
skjöld. The couple settled in Koshkonong. On Nov. 26, 1846,
Christian Olson, a Norwegian, married Christina Södergren
(born in Latvia in 1810). The officiant was the Rev. Mr. Unonius
and it is certain that he had many good wishes for the couple,
inasmuch as Christina had made the long journey five years
earlier with the Unonius group from Uppsala to Pine Lake. On
Nov. 25,1847, Georg Edward Bergwall, now a widower for almost
a year, married the widow Ebba Bergius. The wedding was
solemnized in the home of Mrs. Pettersson, who now lived as
a widow in Pine Lake, after the decease two years earlier of
her husband, Bengt Pettersson. In the little Swedish colony she
was familiarly known as "Grandma Berg," according to Fredrika
Bremer, who visited the colony in 1850. From the above it can
be seen how closely allied were the families of Pettersson, Bergius
and Bergwall. The last wedding mentioned dealing with a Swe­dish
settler is that of Johan Olof Rudberg, who on May 31, 1850,
was married to Frederikke Clausen in the St. Olaf Church by the
Rev. Mr. Sorensen.
The last section deals with the deaths and burials in the parish.
271
During the time Dec. 1, 1843, to Aug. 18, 1858, a total of 96 deaths
are recorded, of which six are definitely tied to Swedes. Com­paring
the deaths with the baptisms it is interesting to note that,
fortunately for the future of the colony, the baptisms are three
times as many as the deaths. The Rev. Mr. Unonius officiated at
about a third of them. During the period Aug. 10, 1844, to Dec.
22, 1847, he led thirty funerals and one additional burial was held
on Oct. 30, 1855. Why Unonius officiated at this lone burial in
1855 was not quite clear. It was for the wife of a Norwegian
emigrant, John Holtan, Gunild Kittelsdatter, born in Oct., 1795.
Of the six Swedish deaths, four have already been alluded to.
The other two are Mrs. Christine Olson, born Södergren, who
less than a year after her marriage to Christian Olson died on
Oct. 15, 1847, and was buried by Unonius in the cemetery at Pine
Lake on Oct. 19. The other Swede was Carl Wilhelm Winberg,
born in Göteborg, who died Nov. 18, 1847, and was buried in the
cemetery of St. Olaf two days later.
It would be desirable if a more thorough examination of the
registers could be initiated which would more definitely prove
the nationalities of the persons registered. Perhaps also addi­tional
facts could be brought out which would more clearly
identify these early emigrants to America.
This account is being written by the light of a kerosene lamp
in a summer cottage in Västergötland, as a sequel to the unusual
and far-reaching initiative of my great-great-grandfather, who in
183819 with five minor sons left his native home near Varnhem in
the county of Valle in Västergötland and emigrated to America
in order to provide a better opportunity for his sons in the new
world, to find for themselves a more just and untrammeled way
of life than what appeared to be possible in Sweden.
The motive behind this article is also to bring to the attention
of scholars this newly found primary source with its genealogical
facts, as well as to advance the cause of emigration history. Since
so much of the material in these registers deals with Norwegian
emigration it would be encouraging if these new facts concerning
Norwegian emigration to the United States would be developed.
As part of the program of spreading knowledge concerning this
source material in Sweden, the writer has, since his return from
See n. 1, p. 262.
272
the United States, deposited these microfilms in the Provincial
Archives of Göteborg and in The Emigrant Institute in Växjö.
An examination by scholars at the Provincial Archives in
Göteborg has revealed that the parish registers of Stone Bank,
Wisconsin follow the common practice of Sweden at the time, of
registering vital statistics.
The notices in these records are the central facts in the
stories of the life around Pine Lake, which we already know
of through Unonius' M e m o i r s and Fredrika Bremer's Homes
i n t h e New W o r l d , published for the first time in 1853-1854.
Her description of Pine Lake, which took place September 29-
30, 1850, is very picturesque and describes primarily the
families of Bergwall and Pettersson, among the total of 21
Swedes whom she met in "Grandma" Pettersson's home. She
also mentions that she "saw the abandoned homes where he
(Unonius) and Schneidau in vain fought adversity in order to
survive."
Unonius' M e m o i r s describe naturally enough his own story and
that of New Upsala during many years and in a different and
much more complete way, but nevertheless these sources com­plement
each other, fortunately, and through the discovery of
these parish records they have both been given a common de­nominator.
273

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UNONIUS FAMILY PICTURES
F r o m the collection of Baroness H e r m e l i n,
granddaughter of M r . and M r s . U n o n i u s . C o n ­tributed
by M r s . Phyllis Babb of M i l w a u k e e .
MRS. GUSTAF UNONIUS
(Charlotte)
THE UNONIUS FAMILY
Five surviving children bom in America
THE UNONIUS GOLDEN WEDDING
ANNIVERSARY WITH GRANDCHILDREN
(1891)
THE FIRST PARISH RECORDS OF GUSTAF
UNONIUS
AXEL FRIMAN
During a journey to the United States in I9601 the writer came
across by chance the original records of Gustaf Unonius' first
parish records from Pine Lake, Wisconsin. Although there was
little opportunity to examine these records at the time, it became
apparent that this primary source was unknown to scholars, and
since it was available only in the original, efforts were made to
kindle the interest of the Wisconsin Historical Society in having
the document microfilmed. At this time it was preserved in the
Archives of the St. John's Lutheran Church in Stone Bank, Wis­consin.
Although the writer was not aware of the fact until ten
years later, when he again made a trip to the United States, the
parish records were microfilmed and are now in the library of the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
In connection with the writer's second journey to the United
States in 1970, he procured a copy of these parish records but
also discovered that they had been copied as early as 1960 by
the now deceased Edith Tallmadge, county historian for Wau­kesha
County. William F. Stark of Nashotah, on the shores of
Pine Lake, had also procured a copy of the Stone Bank records
and had actually used part of these records for his first edition of
P i n e L a k e Saga, published in 1952. A second edition of the
author's story has just appeared.
It was William Stark, further, who introduced me to Dr. Harry
H. Anderson, Executive Director of the Milwaukee Historical
Society, himself a descendant of Swedish settlers in America. In
return for giving Dr. Anderson a copy of my microfilmed Stone
Bank records I received from him a microfilm of the journal
which Gustaf Unonius used as basis for his reports to Bishop
Jackson Kemper. So far as the writer has been able to judge, the
presence of this journal is not known outside the Wisconsin
1 Axel Friman, "On the Trail of Early Wisconsin Swedes," T h e Swedish
Pioneer H i s t o r i c a l Q u a r t e r l y , Vol. XII, p. 14.
262
Historical Society. Knowing that Dr. Anderson, himself, wishes
to publish and spread the knowledge of the contents of this jour­nal,
I only wish to make known to the readers of the Swedish
P i o n e e r H i s t o r i c a l Q u a r t e r l y the presence of such a journal.
For information about- Gustaf Unonius and his two-volume
M e m o i r s , published by the Swedish Pioneer Historical Society
in 1950 and 1960, I refer to this work and its copious notes.
Concerning Unonius' religious engagement in America it can
be said in brevity that when he left Sweden in 1841 he never
envisaged that he would become the first graduate from the
newly established Nashotah Episcopal Mission2. As the first
priest to be consecrated at Nashotah (on May 11, 1845) he be­came
the first pastor of the Scandinavian congregation at Pine
Lake, which church had been organized March 3, 1844. Pastor
Unonius received his income for the first two or three years from
the Episcopal Church Home Mission Treasury, since the congre­gation
was young, consisted of Scandinavian members, mostly
poor, and accustomed from the old country to belonging to a
state church, supported by the Government. In order to improve
his economic lot for himself and his family Unonius was trans­ferred
in 1848, after the church where he had begun his ministry
had been completed, to the St. James' Parish in Manitowoc, Wis­consin.
For a year Unonius labored in this church, where osten­sibly
one would expect a second church register to be found.
In 1849 Unonius moved to Chicago, where he became the pas­tor
of the Scandinavian Congregation, known as the St. Ansgar¬
ius Episcopal Church. From his service in Chicago until 1858,
when he returned to Sweden, we have his third set of parish
records, heretofore the only ones of which we have had knowl­edge.
His ministry at Pine Lake and the neighboring parish of St.
Olaf on the shores of the Ashipun River is verified indirectly
from his church records. In addition to this we should also
mention that during the years 1854-1857 Unonius also performed
a number of sacraments in his old parishes, such as a score of
baptisms, three weddings, and one funeral. The reason for this
is apparently the fact that Unonius' former parishioners appealed
to the Bishop that their former spiritual counsellor be allowed
2 Established by Bishop Jackson Kemper in 1842.
263
to come up once a month from Chicago to visit the congregation
on the Ashipun River and carry out his clerical duties.
The title of the newly discovered parish register states that the
record consists of the "Families of Pine Lake and St. Olaf's
Church, Town of Merton, Waukesha County, Wisconsin 1841-
1849 as entered on church book records from the St. John's
Lutheran Church, Stone Bank, Wisconsin by Rev. Gustaf Elias
Unonius, appointed in charge of the Scandinavian settlers by
Bishop Jackson Kemper."
During the eight years in question a total of 109 familes have
been registered, of which six are Swedish, three Irish, while the
remaining 100 are Norwegian. A large number of the Norwegian
settlers carry the family name of Gasmann. Their life stories
can be followed in the parish records. For Norwegian emigration
experts this early source for the presence of Norwegian settlers
in Wisconsin should be of particular value. I may be wrong,
but I dare venture that this early primary source has not been
known to them earlier.
The Swedish families listed were as follows:
Gustaf Unonius3 arrived Nov. 11, 1841
Polycarpus von Schneidau4 arrived in 1842, moved in Oct.
1844
Bengt Pettersson5 arrived in May, 1843
Gustaf Fr. Leonard Bergius6 arrived July 13, 1845
Carl Gustaf Hammarqvist7 arrived Sept. 21, 1846
Christian Olsson8 (Norwegian) arrived Nov. 26, 1846; mar­ried
to Christina Södergren, who had emigrated with the
Unonius family.
George Edward Bergwall9 arrived July 19, 1846
The above mentioned families all lived in New Upsala on
Pine Lake, except for Hammarqvist, who resided in Koshkonong.
The next section of the register lists individuals without fami­lies.
Between the years 1844 and 1849 a total of 56 individuals
3 Nils William Olsson, Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s i n New Y o r k i n 1 8 2 0 -
1850 (Stockholm and Chicago, 1967), pp. 38-39, n. 19.
' I b i d . , p. 43, n. 42.
r' I b i d . , p. 47, n. 69. His name in Sweden was Knut Hallström, son of
a provost in Nyköping, Nils Hallström.
' I b i d . , p. 47, n. 71.
1 I b i d . , p. 51, n. 92.
' I b i d . , p. 39, n. 23.
" I b i d . , p. 58. He arrived July 5, 1844, aboard the Tosca H e l e n a from
Rotterdam.
264
Pages -from the parish records of St. John's L u t h e r a n C h u r c h,
1 8 4 2 - 1 9 4 4 . M i c r o f i l m edition, Stone B a n k , Wisconsin. Courtesy
of the State H i s t o r i c a l Society of Wisconsin.
265
were registered, of whom two were Swedes, one a Dane, and the
remaining 53 Norwegian.
The first of the Swedes was Knut Alfred Böttiger1 0 , who
arrived in 1842 and was registered in The Church Book on the
organization of the parish on March 3, 1844, but who moved
away already during the summer of that year; the second was
Carl Gustaf Groth1 1 , who arrived with Unonius in 1841 and re­moved
in 1846. He was recorded as a sponsor at the very first
baptism conducted in Pine Lake, Dec. 5, 1842, and as a communi­cant
in May of 1843 (see below). After many years of adven­tures
he returned to Sweden, where he arrived just a few months
before Unonius.
Information about a total of thirty-odd Swedes can be gleaned
from these records. The group is not large, but it consists of the
relatively early and better known group surrounding Unonius,
and it is with this in mind that it is valuable to add the newly
discovered details from the Stone Bank records.
During the period in question there were obviously many
other Swedes in the area, for example John O. Rudberg12, but
they are not to be found in the parish register simply because
they were not members of the congregation, at least not during
the 1840s. Rudberg does appear later during the spring of 1850,
when he was a party in a Danish-Swedish marriage (see below).
Others from Pine Lake and who, according to other sources,
were residing in the area, and who cannot be located in the Stone
Bank records, are Baron Fredrik Thott, who arrived on the brig
G o t h a in Boston June 13, 1842 and a certain Mr. Wadman,
who arrived in 1842 together with Georg Bergwall1 3 . Thott
stayed about a year, but left Pine Lake to accept a civilian posi­tion
in northern Wisconsin. Neither did Wadman, according to
Unonius, born in Norrköping, seem to have remained in the
colony. Sven Björkander from Västergötland did not stay long
enough to register as a member of the congregation. After sev­eral
years of residing in New Orleans together with Carl Gustaf
" I b i d . , p. 41, n. 35.
" I b i d . , p. 39, n. 22. Oddly, Groth was registered in the Church Book
only on Aug. 3, 1845.
' ' I b i d , p. 47, n. 72 and William F. Stark, T h e P i n e L a k e Saga (1952),
p. 26 and pp. 94-95.
13 T h e P i n e L a k e Saga, p. 26.
266
Groth (see above), he returned to Wisconsin and was living in
Koshkonong in 1850.
A few months later a Lieutenant St. Sure14' arrived, who also
does not appear in the parish register except inferentially as
providing space for the Bergwall wedding, which was held in
St. Sure's home.
An early sailor, Charles Balkman, who supposedly arrived in
Pine Lake in 1843, is found five years later in the parish register
as the sponsor at Knut George Bergwall's baptism. ,
It is to be expected that Unonius' rival in the administration
of spiritual solace to the Scandinavian souls, Peter Wilhelm
Böckman1 5 , does not appear in the register, even though Unonius
asked him to preach occasionally in his parish.
It is surprising not to find Carl Wilhelm Polman's name in the
church registers, despite the fact that he is named two or three
dozen times in Unonius' M e m o i r s . Neither does he appear in
Nils William Olsson's Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s i n New Y o r k
1820-1850. It is known that he came aboard the M i n n e t from
Gävle with the Unonius party, but he does not appear on the
ship's manifest. Perhaps he was counted as a member of the
crew, since he had some medical experience and may have served
as ship's surgeon. His absence from the church register may be
explained by the fact that he moved from Pine Lake before the
church was organized.
The register of baptisms lists 277 separate entries. The first
baptism was held Dec. 5, 1842. It was officiated by the Rev. J.
Lloyd Breck in the simple cottage of Gustaf Unonius and con­cerned
the first-born child of Gustaf Unonius and Charlotta
Öhrströmer, Fredrick Israel, born Nov. 27, 1842. He died, how­ever,
already on May 11, 1844 and was buried on May 14 by the
Rev. Mr. Breck. Polman (see above) and the neighboring women
assisted at the delivery. Sponsors were Bengt Pettersson, Charles
Groth (Carl Gustaf) and Christina Södergren.
The next baptism also involved a Unonius son, Lloyd Gustaf,
born Aug. 14, 1844. The sponsors at this occasion were the
"Gustaf Unonius, A Pioneer in Northwest America 1 8 4 1 - 1 8 5 8 , Vol. II
(Minneapolis, 1960), p. 327, n. 11. His original name was Adolf Fredrik
Lindsfelt.
10 T h e P i n e L a k e Saga, pp. 26-27 and Swedish. Passenger A r r i v a l s , p. 61.
n. 60.
267
officiant, the Rev. Mr. Breck, Lorentz Fribert, Polycarpus von
Schneidau, Ellev Björnson, in whose home the baptism was held,
Mrs. Anna Christine Gasmann, Mrs. Charlotta Pettersson, Maren
Chritoffersdatter and Ebba Pettersson.
In the long list of baptisms ending March 13, 1859, when the
list ends, there were thirteen additional baptisms, which, beyond
doubt, dealt with Swedish descendants:
D a t e of
B a p t i s m Child B a p t i z ed
May 15, 1845 Hildur Pettersson
May 17, 1846 Maria Fredrika Unonius
Nov. 15, 1846 Agnes Eleonora Bergius
Jan. 7, 1847 Otto August Björkqvist
Dec. 3, 1848 Knut Georg Bergwall
Dec. 26, 1850 Sten Vestring Bergwall
Oct. 14, 1855 Hilda Elisabeth Unonius
June 26, 1857 Carl Erik Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Josephina Amalia Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Parmela Fredrika Hammarqvist
June 26, 1857 Aron Ludwig Kumlin
June 26, 1857 Victor Theodor Kumlin
Sept. 6, 1857 Svea Maria Kumlin
B i r t h D a te
April 18, 1845
May 1, 1846
Sept. 16, 1846
Oct. 18, 1846
Sept. 10, 1848
1850
Oct. 13, 1855
Oct. 31, 1850
Aug. 1, 1853
March 19, 1856
March 15, 1853
Jan. 7, 1855
Aug. 8, 1857
Officiant
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. Gustaf Unonius
Rev. M. F. Sorensen
Rev. M. F. Sorensen
Rev. L. Kemper
?
9
?
?
?
?
The families of Hammarqvist and Kumlin1 0 lived at Koshko¬
nong and Björkqvist in Saukville. The Kumlins were old friends
of Unonius from his time at the University of Uppsala.
It can be said with certainty that the Rev. Mr. Unonius per­formed
about 100 baptisms. During the time May 15, 1845 to
April 9, 1848 he officiated at 78 baptisms and during the period
Dec. 28, 1853 to April 18, 1858 he performed an additional twenty.
Several persons who have not been reported earlier appear as
witnesses at these baptisms as for example Mr. and Mrs. Zetter¬
ström17, who were witnesses at the baptism of Otto August
Björkqvist on Jan. 7, 1847.
The first confirmation was held on March 3, 1844, when Bishop
Jackson Kemper officiated. Of the three confirmands, two were
Swedish — Mrs. Carolina Elisabeth von Schneidau and Ebbe
Pettersson (son of Bengt Pettersson). Mrs. von Schneidau was
10 Swedish Passenger A r r i v a l s , pp. 50-51, n. 87 and 89.
"Ibid., p. 63, n. 74 and n. 75.
268
born in Stockholm in 1810, the daughter of Jewish parents, and
was baptized Nov. 26, 1843, as a preparation for her confirmation.
The baptism had been done by the Rev. J. Lloyd Breck and the
witnesses at this, the only adult baptism recorded, were Lorentz
Fribert, Adolf St. Sure, Bengt Pettersson, Elsie St. Sure, Char­lotte
Unonius and Charlotte Pettersson.
Up until June 3, 1857, the bishop confirmed a total of 93 per­sons.
Of these the following were also Swedes, in addition to the
two cited above:
D a y c o n f i r m e d Name Remarks
Sept. 20, 1846 Josephina Reuterskjöld1 8 Married Hammarqvist
May 27, 1849 Steen Johan Pettersson
June 16, 1850 Amalie Charlotte Pettersson
The list of communicants is long — it contains over the period
May, 1843 to May 27, 1849 a total of 304 names, of which seven­teen
are Swedes or descendants of Swedes, and mirrors all of
the adult population of the parish.
The Swedish portion has the following appearance:
I b i d . , p. 49, n. 83.
269
Name
Gustaf Elias Unonius
Charlotte Unonius
Polycarpus Schneidau
Bengt Pettersson
Charles Groth
Christine Södergren
Carolina Elisabeth Schneidau
Charlotte Pettersson
Niels Erik Pettersson
Ebbe Wilhelm Pettersson
Ebba Maria El. Pettersson
Knut Alfred Bottiger
Gust Fred Leon Bergius
Eugenia Reuterskjöld
Carl Gustaf Hammarqvist
Georg Edward Bergwall
Maria Bergwall
Residence
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
Koshkonong
Koshkonong
Pine Lake
Pine Lake
When and how a d d ed
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
May, 1843 by emigration
Confirmation Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By confirmation, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
By emigration, Mar. 3, 1844
July 13, 1846 by emigration
Sept. 20, 1846 by confirmation
Sept. 21, 1846 by emigration
July 19,1846 by emigration
July 19,1846 by emigration
When and how l o st
Left
Left
Removal Nov., 1844
By death Dec. 19, 1845
Removal Summer, 1846
By death Oct. 15, 1847
Removal, Nov. 1844
Removal, March, 1845
By death Oct. 1, 1846
In the next section, dealing with marriages, a total of 70 sacra­ments
were celebrated between Feb. 11, 1844 and April 19, 1857.
Six of these are interesting from the Swedish point of view. Of
the total number the Rev. Mr. Unonius seems to have officiated
at 24 of these ceremonies during the time May 25, 1845 to June
8, 1848 and an additional three between Nov. 13, 1854 and April
19, 1857. The first Swedish wedding was held on July 13, 1845
between Gustaf Fred. Bergius (born in March, 1820) and Bengt
and Charlotta Pettersson's daughter, Ebba Maria Eleanora Pet­tersson
(born Sept. 10, 1828). The Rev. Mr. Unonius performed
the ceremony. The marriage terminated the following year on
Oct. 1, through the death of Mr. Bergius.
Almost a year later, or on July 9, 1846, Unonius united in
matrimony Georg Edward Bergwall and Maria Lundberg. This
marriage did not last very long either, since Maria died on Nov.
26 of that year. It may be noted that this marriage was held in
the home of Mr. and Mrs. St. Sure. On Sept. 21, 1846, another
marriage was consummated in the little Swedish colony. This
time the ceremony was held in the home of Gustaf Unonius and
the parties were Carl G. Hammarqvist and Josephine Reuter¬
skjöld. The couple settled in Koshkonong. On Nov. 26, 1846,
Christian Olson, a Norwegian, married Christina Södergren
(born in Latvia in 1810). The officiant was the Rev. Mr. Unonius
and it is certain that he had many good wishes for the couple,
inasmuch as Christina had made the long journey five years
earlier with the Unonius group from Uppsala to Pine Lake. On
Nov. 25,1847, Georg Edward Bergwall, now a widower for almost
a year, married the widow Ebba Bergius. The wedding was
solemnized in the home of Mrs. Pettersson, who now lived as
a widow in Pine Lake, after the decease two years earlier of
her husband, Bengt Pettersson. In the little Swedish colony she
was familiarly known as "Grandma Berg," according to Fredrika
Bremer, who visited the colony in 1850. From the above it can
be seen how closely allied were the families of Pettersson, Bergius
and Bergwall. The last wedding mentioned dealing with a Swe­dish
settler is that of Johan Olof Rudberg, who on May 31, 1850,
was married to Frederikke Clausen in the St. Olaf Church by the
Rev. Mr. Sorensen.
The last section deals with the deaths and burials in the parish.
271
During the time Dec. 1, 1843, to Aug. 18, 1858, a total of 96 deaths
are recorded, of which six are definitely tied to Swedes. Com­paring
the deaths with the baptisms it is interesting to note that,
fortunately for the future of the colony, the baptisms are three
times as many as the deaths. The Rev. Mr. Unonius officiated at
about a third of them. During the period Aug. 10, 1844, to Dec.
22, 1847, he led thirty funerals and one additional burial was held
on Oct. 30, 1855. Why Unonius officiated at this lone burial in
1855 was not quite clear. It was for the wife of a Norwegian
emigrant, John Holtan, Gunild Kittelsdatter, born in Oct., 1795.
Of the six Swedish deaths, four have already been alluded to.
The other two are Mrs. Christine Olson, born Södergren, who
less than a year after her marriage to Christian Olson died on
Oct. 15, 1847, and was buried by Unonius in the cemetery at Pine
Lake on Oct. 19. The other Swede was Carl Wilhelm Winberg,
born in Göteborg, who died Nov. 18, 1847, and was buried in the
cemetery of St. Olaf two days later.
It would be desirable if a more thorough examination of the
registers could be initiated which would more definitely prove
the nationalities of the persons registered. Perhaps also addi­tional
facts could be brought out which would more clearly
identify these early emigrants to America.
This account is being written by the light of a kerosene lamp
in a summer cottage in Västergötland, as a sequel to the unusual
and far-reaching initiative of my great-great-grandfather, who in
183819 with five minor sons left his native home near Varnhem in
the county of Valle in Västergötland and emigrated to America
in order to provide a better opportunity for his sons in the new
world, to find for themselves a more just and untrammeled way
of life than what appeared to be possible in Sweden.
The motive behind this article is also to bring to the attention
of scholars this newly found primary source with its genealogical
facts, as well as to advance the cause of emigration history. Since
so much of the material in these registers deals with Norwegian
emigration it would be encouraging if these new facts concerning
Norwegian emigration to the United States would be developed.
As part of the program of spreading knowledge concerning this
source material in Sweden, the writer has, since his return from
See n. 1, p. 262.
272
the United States, deposited these microfilms in the Provincial
Archives of Göteborg and in The Emigrant Institute in Växjö.
An examination by scholars at the Provincial Archives in
Göteborg has revealed that the parish registers of Stone Bank,
Wisconsin follow the common practice of Sweden at the time, of
registering vital statistics.
The notices in these records are the central facts in the
stories of the life around Pine Lake, which we already know
of through Unonius' M e m o i r s and Fredrika Bremer's Homes
i n t h e New W o r l d , published for the first time in 1853-1854.
Her description of Pine Lake, which took place September 29-
30, 1850, is very picturesque and describes primarily the
families of Bergwall and Pettersson, among the total of 21
Swedes whom she met in "Grandma" Pettersson's home. She
also mentions that she "saw the abandoned homes where he
(Unonius) and Schneidau in vain fought adversity in order to
survive."
Unonius' M e m o i r s describe naturally enough his own story and
that of New Upsala during many years and in a different and
much more complete way, but nevertheless these sources com­plement
each other, fortunately, and through the discovery of
these parish records they have both been given a common de­nominator.
273